LEWIS COUNTY BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION                                                          

 LCBA offers beekeeping education in multiple ways:

(1) Monthly Meetings: speakers cover key beekeeping topics; beekeeping Q&A (click here).

 (2) Beginning Beekeeping Classes (click here) Update: LCBA  will be having their 2022 Beekeeping class at Centralia College January 8th through February 12th. 

(3) Mentor-led Workshops give hands-on practice working bees (see the Upcoming Events page).

(4) Mentor Program: LCBA members can request a personal mentor to help them during their first year of beekeeping contact secretary@lcba.community.

(5) Youth in Beekeeping Scholarship Program (visit YSP page for details & applications).

(6) "Beesearch" Seminar - Continuing Education for Experienced Beekeepers. Click here for seminar outline.

(7) Club Facebook Discussion Group for members. For details, visit: https://www.facebook.com/LewisCountyBeekeepers/. 

LCBA's 1st 2019 workshop was May 11, 2019, about conducting hive inspections on packages & nucs installed this spring. Beekeepers & mentors worked the bees & enjoyed a Q&A over refreshments at our new club apiary. In 2018, we also held workshops on supers removal, Varroa testing, Fall Management practices, and making candy boards: we will hold similar workshops this year, so please check our Upcoming Events page for details.

Above, LCBA mentor Gottfried Fritz guides 2017 Youth Scholarship student Rylea as she uncaps a frame of honey.

Above, LCBA Youth Scholars Rylea Shan and Sam with a nice honey frame at our July 15, 2017 Supers Removal workshop in Adna. 

LCBA's 1st 2017 Workshop was on

Saturday, May 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hive Inspection & Spring Management

LCBA workshops are free & open to the public; donations to support our educational programs are appreciated!  

Below, highlights of LCBA's Saturday, May 20, 2017 Workshop, Inspecting New Hives

Above, first year beekeeper Dave assesses a frame with guidance from mentor Cody as their group looks on.

Above, mentor Gottfried helps first year beekeeper Kenzie evaluate a frame; below, Q&A over refreshments after the workshop:

 Above, host Dan & LCBA President Kevin Reichert (right) evaluating frames for the new split colony at LCBA's May 14 2016 workshop; below, Dan shows youth scholar Sam & other attendees a top feeder of fermented honey; we talked about ways to avoid having syrup in feeders ferment:

At Some of our 2015 Workshops:

At our Sept 12 Fall Management workshop, about 30 beekeepers assessed colonies' food supplies, varroa mite loads, & worked on preparing bees to over-winter. See links above for fall management & over-wintering info.

At our July 18 Honey Supers Removal Workshop in Adna, over 20 beekeepers braved the heat to learn about the 4 major ways to get bees out of honey supers without harming them:

* The fume board method...

* The bee escape & bee escape board methods...

* The leaf blower method...&

* The "bang & brush" method. 

For an illustrated discussion, click here to see the slideshow & descriptions in our Photo Gallery.

At our May 30 hive inspection workshop in Chehalis, 22 new beekeepers and 5 mentors...

* hived 2 impromptu swarms . . .

* went through colonies to assess brood patterns . . .

* added boxes & supers where appropriate . . .

* watched baby bees hatch out . . .

* identified swarm & supersedure cells . . .

. . . & more. We had a fun Q&A & refreshments under trees on our host's beautiful farm. 

Our April 18 Spring Hive Inspection & March 21 Hive Assembling workshops on March 21 were lots of fun! On April 18, about 30 new beekeepers worked with 8 mentors & all got hands-on in hives.  On March 21, 18 new beekeepers put hive parts together with help from 8 mentors.  To see photos, visit our Photo Gallery.



Honey Spinning: click here to visit our Photo Gallery for pictures & discussion of honey extraction.

Below, some pictures from our earlier 2014 & 2013 mentor-led workshops; for more, please visit our Photo Gallery pages.

Below, former LCBA Vice President Dave Gaston inspecting a top bar hive at our May 17 workshop on top bar assembly & management (photos, Tomme Trikosko):

Below, attendees at May 17 workshop:

Below, former VP Dave in his shop showing attendees some unique tweaks on top bar hive assembly (photos, Tomme Trikosko):

Questions About Beekeeping?

Don't Bee Shy ~

To get in touch with an LCBA Bee Mentor,

email LCBA's secretary:

naomielliott@live.com

FYI:

Our mentor program supplements our beginning beekeeping classes (see below) and our monthly meetings.  

 Since our mentors are volunteers, resources only allow ongoing one-on-one mentorship for LCBA members. 

Looking for a free, online overview of key beginning beekeeping topics?  Click here for "Beekeeping Basics," a great beginner's resource from MAAREC (Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium) 

FYI: Children are welcome at LCBA classes & workshops: 

Below, Oliver inspects a bee at our Oct 12 honey spinning workshop:

Below, Dahlia poses with one of beekeeping's sweet rewards: honey extracted at our October 12, 2103 workshop:

Below, December 2010 workshop ~ making soap with honey:

New Resource:

Dr. Dewey Caron has updated his classic textbook, Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping.

Dr. Dewey Caron, a regularly featured LCBA speaker, has co-authored this new edition with Larry Connor; publisher, Wicwas Press. It features impressive color pictures.  To purchase, contact Dewey at carond@hort.oregonstate.edu or phone 302 353-9914 and include a mailing address: cost is $55 (FYI, he can’t take credit cards, just check or cash.)  Also available at bee suppliers: click on link above.

Got Yellow Jackets? Click here for "Protecting Honeybees from Yellow Jackets," a WSU fact sheet. 

To learn more about yellowjackets, hornets, & wasps, click on our Newsletter link & check out the February 2014 newsletter for a summary of Dr. Carl Roush's informative presentation.

For photos of our exhibits at the 2013 & 2014 Southwest Washington Fairs, visit our photo gallery. 

LCBA IS ON FACEBOOK! 

Take a look, post information, links, photos, or simply “Like” us on Facebook!  This is a great opportunity to post questions and get (relatively) quick answers.

https://www.facebook.com/LewisCountyBeekeepersAssociation?ref=hl

ANOTHER FACEBOOK RESOURCE: 

LCBA MEMBER BOB LLOYD'S "APIARY" DISCUSSION PAGE.  ON FACEBOOK, ENTER "APIARY" & VISIT!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/firtreeapiary/

STILL ANOTHER FACEBOOK RESOURCE: 

"THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUEEN REARING CLUB" PAGE:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cbennett3491/

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST: FACEBOOK'S

"WEST COAST BEEKEEPERS" PAGE:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/WestCoastBeekeepers/

Would your organization like a speaker on bee - related topics?  Contact us:

naomi.elliott@live.com

Above, LCBA Beginning Beekeeping class graduate Reena evaluates a brood frame at an LCBA hive inspection workshop.

LCBA's Next Beginning Beekeeping Course: January & February, 2022.

Dates & times: January 8th through February 12th.  Saturdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM  

Place: Centralia College, Washington Hall 103, 701 W. Walnut, Centralia WA 98531

This class is offered through Centralia College's Continuing Education Program. Registration will begin in December, 2021.

For the 2022 brochure, which you can download & print, click here.

Below are details about our beginner's curriculum:

"Your First Year of Beekeeping"

six 3-hour class meetings via the Centralia College ~ Continuing Education Program

For beginners: learn to keep bees successfully in southwest Washington’s unique conditions.  Topics: basic bee biology/behavior, equipment & apiary set-up, seasonal management, identifying & managing parasites & diseases,  honey harvesting, over-wintering, & more.  Students completing the course earn LCBA’s  diploma.

Course Materials:   

Lewis County Beekeepers’ Association’s manual lays out basics for beginners; LCBA’s PowerPoints & demonstration materials supplement manual with visuals.  In-class Q&A welcome; children welcome, too.

Course Instructors:  

LCBA board members with many years of beekeeping experience.

Post-Course Support:  

LCBA’s free Mentor Workshops give hands-on guidance in working bees.  Students who join LCBA are eligible for discounts on spring package / nuc bee orders & free consultations with an individual “bee mentor.” 

Questions? Contact LCBA's Secretary or Education Coordinator.



Below, workshop host & former Community Outreach Coordinator Dan Maughan with a frame of newly drawn comb & bees packing away nectar:

 Below, LCBA mentor Gottfried Fritz, unsuited, left, talking hive-splitting strategies with Dan, right; far left, 2016 Youth Scholarship student Josiah Cowin, Gottfried's mentee, watches; center, LCBA mentor Chris Weedon:

Below, Gottfried holds up a worker bee extruding wax flakes from her abdomen (photo, Phil Wilson):

Above, LCBA's 2014 youth scholar, Joevanie Montalvo, and sister Davina uncapping honey at last year's honey spinning workshop.

Above, LCBA Vice President Kevin Reichert demonstrates the "leaf blower" method for removing bees from honey supers without harming them; below, Community Outreach Coordinator Dan Maughan assessing whether a honey frame is ready to harvest:

Above & below- May 30, our pre-workshop discussion of how to assess colony conditions to prevent swarming was interrupted by, count 'em, 2 swarms ~ so workshop participants got some hands-on swarm-hiving!

Above, LCBA Community Outreach Coordinator Dan Maughan leading hive inspection workshop in Adna, April 11, 2015

Above,  LCBA President Norm Switzler leading spring management workshop in Randle, April 2014; below, at summer 2014 workshop on removing honey supers, mentor Kent Yates with new member Robin Hahnenkratt prepare to show the "leaf blower" method.  We covered fume boards, bee escapes, & the "shake, run, hide" approaches to getting bees off supers without harming them.

We had a great time at our 2014 summer workshops in Winlock & Chehalis, which gave LCBA members practice pulling frames & assessing brood patterns, testing for parasites, & diseases, & learning techniques for removing honey supers with support from mentors:  many thanks to our our hosts and leaders.  Click here to visit our photo gallery for pictures & a narrative of what we found inspecting these hives...

Above, Norm Switzler guiding new member through hive inspection; below, watching bees hatch from brood comb at our April 26, 2014 workshop in Winlock:

 Over 30 turned out for the "great east county hive inspection road trip" to apiaries in Silver Creek, Randle, & Packwood on April 12.

Over 50 participated in our two hive assembly workshops on April 5 & February 8 - see our Photo Gallery for pictures. 

Below, a few scenes from April 12's hive inspections:

Above, Norm (holding frame) fields questions from workshop attendees; below, terrific brood pattern in Randle hive led us to do a split:

Below, scenes from LCBA's October 2013 Honey Spinning workshop / party: below, Sally & Gordon uncap honey frames while Ted drains a hand-cranked extractor:

Below, Lori pulls her first spun honey frame:

Above, Norm leads fall management inspection workshop in Randle, Sept. 14. This workshop focused on assessing a colony's supplies & readiness to over-winter. Click here to see more on our Photo Gallery.

Above, LCBA members assembling hive bodies at our February 2014 works